Friday night was date night and we'd narrowed it down to two choices - The Rum Diary or 21 Jump Street. Both movies would have Johnny Depp in them so I was fine with either and left it up to the boy to choose. Being a Hunter S. Thompson fan, he chose The Rum Diary. Mighty fine choice it was too - what a bunch of silly, pointless hijinks - perfect for a Friday night fun flick. This is not a movie with a dense plot or much to say about life.
What is the connection to Hunter S. Thompson, the famed gonzo journalist who wrote pieces for Rolling Stone in the 60s and 70s and a range of non-fiction books? In this movie, Johnny Depp plays a journalist called Paul Kemp who it seems is an idealised version of Hunter in a fictional tale that probably didn't happen. However I read the other day that Hunter did have a sojourn to Hawaii to cover the Honolulu Marathon, so perhaps this tale of a journalist arriving in Puerto Rico to write horoscopes for a failing newspaper and enjoying some jolly japes along the way is not too far from the truth after all?
The plot is pretty much summed up above, although there is a side bar where Paul meets a well connected businessman whose girlfriend just happens to be the hot chick that Paul flirted with at a party the night before. He gets drawn into the business affairs of the guy to help with massaging public opinion, mainly due to his interest in the girl. For the rest of the time, this is just the wacky and entertaining adventures of Paul, his workmate and roommate Sala and occasionally Moberg (Giovanni Ribisi doing an even sleazier version of his "My name is Earl" character). These hijinks take in drinking copious amounts of the titular drink, amongst others, imbibing drugs, a bit of cockfighting (yes, the rooster kind), mixing with the local constabulary and in very small doses having a think about the social issues he has been thrust into with the collapse of the paper. It's really not deep and meaningful in any way though. Johnny Depp is in his fantastic quirky and funny mode, with some awesome faces pulled. Tonnes of fun and a few giggles, particularly in a very funny car "chase". An above average 3.5 stars, add another half a star if you love Johnny Depp or Hunter S. Thompson.
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